Liberal Senate Democrats Come to Defense of Embattled CBS News and ‘60 Minutes,’ Push for a Full FCC Vote on Skydance-Paramount Deal

Liberal Democratic lawmakers are once again trying to inject themselves into Paramount’s planned merger with Skydance Media — currently tangled up in the controversy over CBS News’s Kamala Harris interview on “60 Minutes” — urging the Federal Communications Commission to approve the deal only with a vote by the full commission. The Democratic lawmakers say they are asking for more transparency amid the appearance of a “deal” between Paramount and President Trump, who is suing CBS Inc., a key Paramount subsidiary, for $20 billion over its editing of Vice President Harris’s October 2024 interview with “60 Minutes.” The changes included removing a “word salad” from the beginning of her answer to a question about Israel, making her seem more coherent than she actually was at a time when her lack of coherence in serious interviews was a major campaign issue.The FCC is reviewing the Skydance deal, which has had its deadline extended until July 6. Executives at the two entertainment companies reportedly believe that the way to ensure their merger is approved is to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. However, the chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, has said that the lawsuit is unrelated to his agency’s review of the merger or a news distortion complaint against CBS, also over the Harris interview.His comments are not convincing to Paramount, nor are they to two liberal Democratic lawmakers, Senators Markey and Luján, who wrote a letter to the regulator urging it to approve the transaction “only with an affirmative vote by the full Commission.”President Trump is suing CBS for $20 billion over how it edited its interview with Kamala Harris. Via CBS “Although the Commission has delegated authority for its Media Bureau to decide certain matters without a full Commission vote, this transaction is unique from other mergers that have come before the Commission. In particular, Paramount is reportedly considering settling a frivolous, unrelated lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against CBS, a Paramount subsidiary,” the senators said. The Democrats also said that Mr. Trump’s claim that the editing of Ms. Harris’s interview qualifies as “voter inference” is “both false and a clear attempt to intimidate the news media.” They highlighted reports that Paramount is considering settling the case to “increase the odds that the Trump administration does not block or delay” its merger.“With Paramount on the hook to pay Skydance a $400 million breakup fee if the FCC blocks the deal, the company has strong financial incentives to facilitate FCC approval of the merger,” the letter said. “This transaction has signs of a deal between a company eager for approval of a multi-billion dollar merger and a President willing to exploit his position to intimidate the media and secure a multi-million dollar payout.”The FCC did not respond by the time of publication to the Sun’s request for comment about whether it would put the issue of the Skydance deal up for a full vote by the commission. Shari Redstone attends a special screening of ‘We Will Dance Again’ at Temple Emanu-El on September 18, 2024, at New York City. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Paramount+A veteran entertainment industry reporter, Matthew Belloni, said in his closely read newsletter, “What I’m Hearing,” that mediation talks had ended with a “whimper” last week because Paramount and Mr. Trump were “far apart.”Paramount executives had agreed to pay up to $20 million to settle the lawsuit, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, it was expected that Mr. Trump would seek a much higher sum, as he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting in February that he believes CBS should pay “a lot” for the editing.While the mediation talks appear to be on hold, media reporters such as Mr. Belloni expect that, eventually, the two sides will reach an agreement to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. The Skydance deal, if approved by the government, would be worth billions of dollars and provide a major payout to the family that controls Paramount, the Redstones. If the deal is blocked, it is likely the matriarch of the family, Shari Redstone, would have to pay a $400 million kill fee, as well as try to find a new buyer for Paramount as its market cap has plummeted to $8 billion in 2025 from $30 billion in 2019. CBS News has been denounced by President Trump for its editing of the ’60 Minutes’ Kamala Harris interview. Via CBS NewsDespite the pressures for the Skydance deal to be approved, Ms. Redstone had reportedly recused herself from discussions about a settlement. The end of the mediation talks, as Mr. Belloni noted, raises questions about whether Ms. Redstone will try to get involved in the settlement negotiations.With billions of dollars at stake, the deal and how Paramount navigates the FCC review process have been closely scrutinized — especially by left-wing journalists who are looking for an institution to, in their view, resist the Trump administration. In recent weeks, Ms. Redstone has faced criticism for her reported efforts to pave the way for the deal’s approval, including pushing to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. As the Democratic senators noted in their letter to the FCC, the Journal has reported that some executives at Paramount expressed concerns settling Mr. Trump’s lawsuit could be perceived as bribing government officials to ensure the Skydance is approved.One way to try to refute the allegation of a bribe is for CBS News and “60 Minutes” to issue an apology for the Harris interview, something the CEO of CBS News and Stations, Wendy McMahon, and the outgoing executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, have said is a “red line,” according to journalist Oliver Darcy. David Ellison, far right and leaning over, sits by President Trump at a UFC event in Florida this weekend. Via XMr. Owens announced his resignation last month, in what has been received as a forced move, as he decried what he said was a loss of editorial independence at “60 Minutes.” Meanwhile, Puck’s Dylan Byers reports that the executives of Skydance have decided to fire Ms. McMahon after the deal closes.Amid the concerns about executives meddling in editorial decisions and the expectation that Paramount will settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, there has been increasing pressure to block such an agreement. Earlier this month, a group of eight Democratic senators — including Senators Warren and Sanders — sent a letter to Ms. Redstone urging her not to try to settle the president’s lawsuit and to “stand up for freedom of the press and our democracy.”

Liberal Senate Democrats Come to Defense of Embattled CBS News and ‘60 Minutes,’ Push for a Full FCC Vote on Skydance-Paramount Deal

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